1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to separable packaging and methods and a machine for dispensing the contents of separable packages, preferably in a layered manner. More specifically, it relates to packaged food products such as sandwiches or other foods that have at least two independent elements such as cheese, meats or vegetables, or other food related items having related elements, such as spaghetti and tomato sauce, a salad and a salad dressing, or even the forenoted spaghetti and tomato sauce and a bowl for holding the just combined spaghetti and sauce,. The invention also relates to methods and a machine for dispensing the contents of separable packages, preferably in a layered manner, so as to form a completed assembly for the dispensed contents of the packages. The present invention is particularly advantageous for automated machine preparation and vending of multi-element food products.
2. Background Information and Description of the Related Art
Currently, foods such as these are often packaged fully assembled, in which case the separate elements come into contact with other elements at the time the contents of the packages are assembled. For example, in the case of a simple cheese sandwich, the cheese will contact the bread and after a period of time, the bread will soak up the moisture from the cheese and the bread will become soggy, leading to a lower quality product and a degradation of textures. In the case of tomato sauce mixed together with the pasta at the point in time when and where it is packaged, the pasta can soak up the moisture from the tomato sauce and the texture and taste will degrade. Existing methods of layering food products include doing it by hand, as is done every day at any restaurant, or by automated machinery which may dispense out of a bulk storage area. These methods require that various portions of the ingredients are exposed to ambient air and other environment conditions during handling and storage time until all of the ingredients are used up when making the finished products are thrown away due to dating or spoilage. In addition, the kitchen or environment where the elements are layered and the objects or hands that contact the food elements are difficult to keep sanitized at all times. Freshness and sanitary conditions are a key concern. Additionally, spoilage and labor requirements are other issues that must be taken into account.